The Carolina Hurricanes couldn’t ride off their top line alone and came up short 4-3 in overtime against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday afternoon at PNC Arena.
Special teams proved to be a killer as the Carolina power play went 0 for 3 and the penalty kill went 2 for 3, although it in essence went 1 for 3 as Edmonton scored right as one penalty expired.
With the Oilers missing arguably the best player in the NHL, Connor McDavid, Edmonton looked strapped for talent coming into the afternoon. However, the Canes afforded the Oilers chance after chance on the power play to really keep them afloat.
However, the scariest turn of fates is that the Hurricanes are seemingly becoming a one-line hockey team and if they don’t get support from the rest of the lineup soon, it could be curtains for their playoff hopes.
“That’s the question,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour on how he balances only having one line going. “We had some good looks on the other lines too in the third. The first two periods there was nothing much going there, but that’s the magic question… We are definitely going to need everyone to contribute if we are going to keep moving forward, but if that line keeps scoring I think you have to keep it together.”
It started out positively as the Hurricanes kept up the whole “not surrendering the first goal in a game” trend as Trevor van Riemsdyk’s shot from the point ricocheted off traffic in front and in past Edmonton netminder Mike Smith, just 12 seconds into the game.
It marked the first goal of the season for van Riemsdyk and now all of the main-stay Hurricanes skaters on the roster have registered a goal. In fact, the speed of the tally marked the third-fastest goal to start a game in franchise history.
On their first power play, the Oilers went to work and as the penalty expired, the only other name the Canes needed to have had circled, the NHL’s point leader Leon Draisaitl, found a loose puck near the crease to tie up the game.
In the second period, the Canes’ top line kept going to work and Jaccob Slavin threaded the needle to Sebastian Aho, springing him on a breakaway which he finished on his forehand.
The Oilers were rewarded another power play soon after, however, and an odd bounce found Kailer Yamamoto right in the slot where he rang the puck off the far post and in as the puck banked in off of James Reimer.
Only 28 seconds later, van Riemsdyk turned the puck over along the glass on a play that didn’t need to be rushed and Oiler forward Josh Archibald was able to get a step around Teuvo Teravainen and roof the puck in alone on Reimer.
“That’s just the game,” Reimer said. “Sometimes the pucks bounce your way and sometimes they don’t. It’s unfortunate, you hate losing games, but at least we battled and got a point. We grinded out a valuable point so it is what it is.”
The Canes struggled against what is basically an AHL roster. It is something that shouldn’t happen. Although this year’s team is more talented, it seems to make more costly blunders and simple mistakes, much to Brind’Amour’s chagrin who loves a simple A to B game.
Carolina has also struggled to get anything worthwhile out of its power play ever since Dougie Hamilton went down with an injury and while the chances present themselves, the lack of a true power-play quarterback is nagging at the Canes.
“That’s a huge hole we got back there,” Brind’Amour said. “…You’re not going to fill that guy’s shoes and that’s a big hole.”
Late into the game, with time running down, the Hurricanes’ top line proved to be its saving grace again, as Aho picked up his second of the night off a great feed from Andrei Svechnikov. The whole third period seemed like a huge inevitability as the Oilers seemed to try and sit on the lead they had somehow stumbled into.
The pressure paid off and even continued into the overtime period. However, despite a flurry of grade-A chances in overtime, Carolina couldn’t get it done and it was Archibald in alone off a feed from Draisaitl that ended it.
“The mindset is, score a goal,” Aho said on the feel of overtime. “For me, I had a great chance and I just couldn’t put it in. It sucks. I just have to put that in.”
The game feels like a missed opportunity for two points that really the Hurricanes should have had. Draisaitl finished the night with a goal and two assists, so the only guy the Canes needed to stop, couldn’t be.
Instead of finding themselves back in a playoff position, the Hurricanes are now one point back, yet still have a game in hand over the second wild card team, the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Hurricanes hit the road for a single game as they head just a bit west to take on the Nashville Predators Tuesday night. Follow TechSports staff writer Ryan Henkel on Twitter for live game updates.
The Hurricanes celebrate right wing Sebastian Aho’s goal versus the Oilers on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020 at PNC Arena. Aho had two goals and one assist to tally on three points in the 4-3 loss in overtime to the Edmonton Oilers
